Odom named Mrs. Mississippi USI

Jacquelyn Loftin Odom ('86) of Stringer was crowned the state's eighth Mrs. Mississippi USI in Jackson last March.

The 30-year-old title holder is an English and speech teacher at Copiah Academy and is active in numerous community and charitable organizations, including the Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi.

At Mississippi State, Odom was feature twirler in The Famous Maroon Band, a Miss MSU finalist, and a Reveille Beauty.

In 1992, she was named STAR Teacher at Heidelberg Academy. She and her mother, Nancy Loftin of Hazlehurst, were Mississippi's Mother-Daughter USA in 1990.

This was Odom's fourth year to compete for the Mrs. Mississippi USI title. She was first alternate in 1994, and this year she was awarded Mrs. Photogenic and Mrs. Physical Fitness.

The Mrs. Mississippi USI Pageant made its debut in 1988, with Odom's mother as the first title holder. Odom currently is preparing for the national pageant to be held in Tyler, Texas, in August.